Record Store Day 2018: The List

It’s that time of year again. Record Store Day 2018 is approaching, and the official list is finally here. We’re proud to offer up a selection of nine exclusive releases this year, including records from some of our favorite artists, past and present. Read all about them below. As a reminder, Record Store Day falls on Saturday, April 21st, and you can find your local participating stores on RSD’s website.

Various Artists – The Other Side of Sun (Part 2): Sun Records Curated By Record Store Day, Volume 5

This limited edition compilation LP was curated from the classic Sun Record Company catalog by participating Record Store Day stores, and marks the fifth installment of the ‘Sun Records Curated by Record Store Day’ series. Due to popular demand, this compilation continues the ‘Other Side of Sun’ theme from volume 3 in the series, exploring the wide array of genres under the Sun umbrella. The track list was carefully curated by the hardworking people in record stores themselves. This Record Store Day 2018 exclusive release is limited to 4,000 copies worldwide.

Various Artists – Right On Now! The Sounds of Northern Soul

Gangway! Open the dance floor! This record is sure to get you on your feet. From Ike & Tina to Bettye LaVette, your Cuban heeled soles are sure to be worn through by the end of side B. This essential collection of rare northern soul tracks was curated from catalogs like Calla, Atco, Loma, and Jubilee. The tracks were remastered for vinyl at Infrasonic Mastering. The album is being pressed at Pallas in Germany, on a white, red, and blue swirl color vinyl, exclusively for Record Store Day 2018.

Anywhere – Anywhere II

Anywhere II is the second, proper full length release from musical entity Anywhere, following their 2012 self-titled release. The sound began with two friends Christian Eric Beaulieu and Cedric Bixler Zavala (The Mars Volta) digging into open tuning and hybrid ragas with punk energy. The project evolved into an expansive, bizarrely curated cavalcade of A-list psychedelic exhibitionists from all parts California, and a few world famous musicians playing non-famous instruments, all arranged and overseen by a mostly unknown, humble guitar playing surfer dude. The line-up of “II” finds Beaulieu and Zavala accompanied by Krist Novoselic, Mike Watt, Dale Crover, Jonathan Hischke, and many others. No where else in the world can you find a recording with members of Comets On Fire, Nirvana, Earthless, Melvins, Flying Luttenbachers, Sleepy Sun, Triclops!, Devendra Banhart, Lieutenant, Golden, Black Fork, Victims Family, The Mars Volta, fIREHOSE, AND a winner of America’s Next Top Model. And no one ever will again. This limited edition vinyl pressing for Record Store Day comes on blue marble color vinyl.

Bunk Johnson – Rare and Unissued Masters: Volume One (1943-1945)

This long awaited release presents over a dozen previously unissued masters of surprisingly high quality from the premier artist on the American Music label, Bunk Johnson. The venues for the recording sessions varied between the legendary 1944 sound of the San Jacinto Hall to the homes of Bertha Gonsoulin in San Francisco and George Lewis in New Orleans. The album receives its first ever vinyl pressing, spread across two LPs, on transparent blue color vinyl for Record Store Day 2018. The recording were remastered for vinyl at Infrasonic Mastering and pressed at Pallas Group in Germany. The inside spread of the gatefold jacket features extensive liner notes.

Ornette Coleman – An Evening with Ornette Coleman (Part 2)

An Evening With Ornette Coleman (Part 2) is taken from a 1965 concert at Fairfield Hall in Croydon, England. This album captures Coleman during a transitional period that showcases his experimentation with contemporary classical forms. The recordings have been released in various forms over the years, though the last US vinyl pressing is now over 40 years old. Presented as the second in a two part series, this reissue shines a new light on the fantastic recording from a world-renowned jazz great. Pressed on transparent vinyl at Pallas in Germany, this limited edition release features new artwork and is exclusive to Record Store Day 2018.

Redd Kross – Third Eye

Third Eye is the major-label debut album by Redd Kross, released by Atlantic Records in 1990, featuring a Redd Kross fan favorite, “Annie’s Gone”. The album has not seen a legitimate vinyl release in the US since its original pressing. It was remastered for vinyl by Infrasonic Mastering in Los Angeles. This limited edition green color vinyl pressing comes with a lyric insert, and is exclusively available to independent record stores for Record Store Day 2018.

Richard Lloyd – Lodestones

Guitar legend and Television co-founder Richard Lloyd has had a profound influence on rock & roll, with people like Jeff Tweedy citing Lloyd as his “musical hero”. Yet Lloyd’s solo career has somehow largely been overlooked and under-appreciated.With the release of his critically acclaimed 2017 memoir, Everything is Combustable, there is a renewed interest in his post-Television work. Perhaps the most obscure of his solo releases is Lodestones, an album that was released in 2010 only as a digital download. That album is finally getting its due with this transparent orange color vinyl pressing for Record Store Day 2018.

Sock-Tight – Second Wind

Mike Watt is one of the best bassists around, with a resume that includes the Minutemen, fIREHOSE, and the Stooges, among many others. Raymond Pettibon is an award winning visual artist and one of the most prominent cover artists around. Together they are Sock-Tight, a band from the past for the future. Two friends with different working and communication patterns, united in the belief that culture and art are meant to be a social act and in the hands of all people. Sock-Tight is a psychedelic-inspired no-wave-mania which brings together the lyrical mantra of Raymond Pettibon, the bass of Mike Watt, the saxophone vision of the early Stooges as well as a lot more dark alley thoughts and sounds from America. Second Wind is a limited edition 7” made exclusively for Record Store Day 2018. The recordings feature Dirk Vandenberg on drums, and a different sax player for each track; Alex Zhang Hungtai, Vince Meghrouni, and Ulises Bella. The gatefold jacket features artwork from Raymon Pettibon.

Sun Ra – Standards

Sun Ra, the extraordinary, outlandish, and sometimes controversial pianist, is often described as an “acquired taste”, with a massive and diverse catalog. This release is a good place to start for uninitiated or dismissive listeners. The album showcases Ra’s grounding in the jazz tradition, with unique takes on standards like “Time After Time,” “Easy to Love,” and “But Not for Me”. Not unordinary for Sun Ra, the recording process was informal; “Can This Be Love?” was recorded in his Chicago apartment in 1955; he is accompanied only by the great Wilbur Ware on bass. The other five tracks, which feature, among others, Ra’s longtime associate John Gilmore on tenor saxophone, were recorded at the Choreographer’s Workshop rehearsal space in 1962 and 1963. The album is finally receiving its first ever vinyl release with a psychedelic swirl color pressing, exclusively for Record Store Day 2018.